Simple CV template

What goes on a simple CV, in this order

The order below is the one the template uses by default. You can move any section up or down in the editor, but most people should not need to.

• Name and contact line. Full name, the role you are aiming for, town and country, one phone number, one email address and, if you have one, a portfolio or LinkedIn address. A full street address is not needed.
• Profile. Three or four lines: what you do now, what you are good at with one piece of evidence, and the kind of role you want next. Write it last, once the rest is done.
• Experience. Most recent job first. Job title, employer, place, start and end month, then two to five lines on what you did and what changed because of it.
• Education. Degree, college or school, dates, and a grade if it helps. Once you have a few years of work behind you, one line per qualification is plenty.
• Skills. A short list of things a hiring manager would actually test you on: software, languages, licences, methods. Leave out traits like hard working.
• Extras only if they earn their place: training, certifications, volunteering or a project that fills a gap.

How long it should be

For most people one page is enough and two is the limit. If you have under five years of work, aim for one. If you have a longer history, keep the last ten years in detail and shorten older roles to a title, employer and dates. The preview shows the page count as you type, and the template never squeezes the text to make it fit, so if it spills onto a second page that is a sign to cut rather than a layout problem.

Example lines you can adapt

Plain wording reads best in a plain layout. Each line starts with what you did and ends with what it led to:

• Handled 40 to 60 customer calls a day and resolved most billing questions on the first call.
• Rebuilt the weekly rota in a shared spreadsheet, which stopped double bookings over the summer.
• Trained four new starters on the till system and stock checks during their first month.
• Kept supplier invoices filed and matched to orders, so month end closed two days earlier.

Use your own numbers only where you can stand behind them in an interview. A clear sentence without a number is better than a number you guessed.

What to leave out

• A photo, date of birth, marital status or nationality, unless the employer asks for them.
• The heading Curriculum Vitae at the top. Your name is the heading.
• Every short course you have ever done. Keep the ones the advert mentions.
• References. Write Available on request, or choose that option in the References menu, and send the details when asked.
• Hobbies, unless they show a skill the job needs or give the interviewer something specific to ask about.

When simple is the wrong choice

There are a few cases where plain is not enough on its own. If you work in design, illustration or architecture, the CV is a supporting document and the portfolio does the selling, so put the portfolio link in the header and keep the CV simple anyway. If the advert asks for a photo, use the Portrait layout. If you are a recent graduate whose degree is the strongest thing you have, the Graduate layout puts it first for you. For nearly everything else, simple is the right answer.

UK CV or US resume?

The layout works for both. In the UK and Ireland it is called a CV and A4 paper is the norm. In the US and Canada the same document is called a resume, it is usually printed on US Letter, and it tends to be shorter and more focused on results. Switch the paper size above the preview before you download, and if you are applying in the US, rename the Profile in your head to a summary: the same three lines do the job.

Questions about this template